Acquisition of Baltimore’s premier brand provides El Car Wash with immediate scale in the Mid-Atlantic in advance of larger regional rollout

MIAMI, May 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — El Car Wash today announced the acquisition of Canton Car Wash (“Canton”), the leading car wash brand in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The transaction includes six operating locations and a significant development pipeline, launching El Car Wash into the Mid-Atlantic region and further advancing the company’s disciplined, multi-region market densification strategy. With this acquisition, El Car Wash now operates over 100 locations across select markets and continues to grow through both strategic M&A and ground-up development.

“Canton’s founders have built one of the highest-quality platforms in our industry, one that is defined by an elevated customer experience, premium locations, and a strong people-centric culture. We are incredibly excited to partner with the Canton team and leverage their existing foundation into a larger strategy throughout Baltimore and into adjacent markets,” said Geoff Karas, CEO and Co-Founder of El Car Wash. “The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast US are some of the most densely populated and underserved car wash geographies. The Canton acquisition combined with our development pipeline will enable us to serve these communities through a dense network of locations with the same industry-leading customer experience that over half a million El Car Wash members enjoy today.”

Canton’s owners, Tom DeBacco, Chris Rivera, and Jon Cefalone, said, “We were thoughtful in selecting a partner and ultimately chose El Car Wash because of their track record, operational expertise, and alignment with our long-term strategy. This partnership positions us to continue to perform in our home market and deliver unmatched value for our customers, especially with El Car Wash’s development capabilities and support. Most of all, we’ve always believed that taking care of our people is what allows us to take care of our customers — and this partnership with El Car Wash allows us to do that at a whole new level.”

Chris Jenks and Amplify Capital Group served as exclusive sell-side advisor to Canton Car Wash. Wolfson Partners LLC served as an advisor to El Car Wash.

About El Car Wash

El Car Wash is one of the fastest-growing car wash platforms in the United States, operating a rapidly expanding network of locations across select metropolitan markets. Founded in Miami, the company has built a differentiated operating model centered on premium customer experience, local market density, operational excellence, and a people-first culture.

El Car Wash continues to expand through disciplined greenfield development, strategic acquisitions, and ongoing investment in technology, team members, and customer experience.

Learn more at www.elcarwash.com.

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SOURCE El Car Wash